Company ‘Sorry’ Over Horsemeat in Beef Burgers

The tainted meat was sold in Ireland and Britain

Meat sold as beef in Ireland and Britain has been found to contain both horse and pig DNA. The other meats were detected during routine testing by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, CNN reports. Ten of 27 samples were positive for horse DNA, and 23 showed pig DNA.

While the report went on to say the meat posed no public health risks, it raised the authority’s concerns about the way meat is prepared and packaged.

The meat came from two packers in Ireland and one in Britain, and was on sale at several grocers in both nations. Nine of the 10 horsemeat-positive samples showed only slight amounts, but the largest one, with 29% horsemeat, was sold at Britain’s largest retailer, Tesco (PINK:TSCDY). The chain apologized to its customers and has pulled all suspect packages from its shelves.

Irish Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney said in an interview with RTE, quoted in The Christian Science Monitor, that an ingredient added to the burger was previously packed with horsemeat. Coveney said that the outcome was “totally unacceptable.”